Self-closing tube and cap



Aug. 23, 1938. H. w. eoss ET AL SELF CLOSING TUBE AND CAP Filed March 15, 1937 Patented Aug. 23, 1938 g l UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE SELF-CLOSING TUBE AND CAP Horace William Goss and Reginald Griiiin GOII,

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application March 15, 1937, Serial No. 130,846

3 Claims. (Ci. 221--60) The invention relates to collapsible dispensing in a neck portion 2 of reduced size and provided tubes and more particularly to improvements in with a transverse under-cut guideway or slot 3 sell-closing dispensing means therefor. on the outer end extremity and adispensing The principal object of this invention is to proopening-4 leads into the guideway.

5 vide a simple form of dispensing device which A slide valve member 8 is shaped to slidably fit may be incorporated in or applied to a collapsible or interlock with the undercut sides of the guidetype of tube container at low cost and which will way 3, and has a downward hooked extension 6 be ver'y convenient to operate. at one end andan elastic band 6' is applied under The principal feature of the invention resides tension about the neck 2 and engaged in the in the novel construction and arrangement of hooked extension 8 so that the valve is held in 10 the parts whereby a slide valve is normally held its closed posit on o pp g the open 4 to its closed position by means of a resilient or w t the opening 8 of the valve out of register elastic element encircling the neck of the cont the pe ng 4 and with the end portion 5' tainer or cap. projecting beyond the side wall of the neck, to be In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of Conveniently D ed ward as y the thumb 15 the upper end oi the collapsible container tube finger When it s des ed to open the valve in showing a preferred form of the present invenwhich DOSltiOh it 15 Shown in F gure 3- ti applied th t In Figure 4 the elastic element I is shown in Figure 2 is a mid-sectional elevation through the form of a coiled sp ing encircling the neck, the t ti shown i ig 1, while in Figure 5 an elastic band I of wider and 20 Figure 3 is a plan view showing the valve in flatter form 15 O open p051t10n In the form shown in Figure 6 the elastic ele- Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the upper meht comprises a 1ehgth Of p ng Wire 9 which portion of a dispensing container showing a m dis bent to encircle and clamp about the neck 2 ifled form of resilient closing means for the valve. of the eohtelher end 15 provided With a p g e 25 Figure 5 1s a View similar to Figure 4 1 tension 9' at one end which is co-operatively astmmng a further modified form of elastic closing sociated with the valve 5 to hold the samedn its means, closed position so that the opening of the valve Figure 6 is a perspective detail view illustrating is effected nst the spring tension. a modified form of valve operating means In Figures 7 to 9 the Valve 5 is shown 30 Figure 7 is a perspective view of the upper po mounted in an undercut slot 3 which is formed tion of the container illustrating the present inacross the removable Cap 10, Which cap together vention applied to the removable cap thereon With the Valve may be provided as an accessory t t valve closed, or as standard equipment having a threaded neck figure 8 1s a iew imilar to Figure '1 showing 2' threaded t0 removably on the threaded 35 the valve in its open 1 1 neck 2" of the container. In this form of the Figure 9 l 15 a m1d sect10na1 elevational View invention the elastic band or other resilient elethrough the construction shown in Figure'l. meht encircles the neck p ion 2' of the Figures 10 and 11 are mid-sectional elevational removable l 40 views showing the slidable valve associated with In Figures 10 and 11 'disp s ep 40 a sealed puncturable outlet. of the collapsible tube is shown of the type which Many forms of self-closing dispensing valves 18 Sealed by a thin p c u a e d aphra have been previously proposed in connection with w h m y be p n r y inserting asuitable collapsible containers and the like, but these have instrum n through the valve opening 8' as shown invariably been of a more or less complicated in Figure 11, so that thereafter the valve 5 will 45 nature which were unduly costly in production or serve to open and close the punctured opening. involving various difllculties in assembly, and the The use of an ordinary elastic rubber band in present invention has been devised to provide a the environment set forth serves a new and useseli-closing valve which will be of extremely simful purpose and although of infiniteslmally small ple form which will involve no difficulty in ascost it ensures the proper closing oi the dispens- 60 sembly and which will not add appreciably to ing valve, and it will be apparent that the asthe cost to the consumer and which will be very sembly may be eifected with no difilculty whatsimple to operate. ever, and this case of assembly is also present in In the construction shown in Figures 1 to 3 the all forms of the invention illustrated by reason of collapsible tube container I isshown terminating the fact that the resilient element only requires 55 to be slipped into position over the top of the container or cap to establish its co-operative relation with the valve.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a dispensing container having a dispensing opening and a valve slidably mounted to open and close said opening and having an angularly arranged extension formed with a hooked extremity, an elastic band encircling said container and extending about said valve extension and holding said valve closed. said hooked extremity co-operating with the elastic band to hold same in position. the arrangement of the valve and elastic band being such that the band normally retains the valve with its other extremity overhanging the said band to further retain same in position.

2. The combination with a dispensing tube having a threaded neck, of a cap threaded to receive said neck, said cap having a bottomed slot exl tending diametrically thereof on the outward side and having a dispensing opening in the bottom of less width than the slot, a slide valve reciprocably mounted in said guideway and having sealing engagement with the bottom of said guideway completely about the dispensing opening free of contact with the neck or body of said tube, and resilient means engaging only said cap and valve for urging said valve to its closed position.

3. Means as claimed in claim 2 in which said resilient means comprises an endless elastic band encircling the threaded portion 01 said cap under tension and engaging a portion of said valve, said cap, valve and elastic band comprising a complete, removable unit with the elastic band assembled therewith under tension independent of the dispensing tube.

HORACE WILLIAM GOSS. REGINALD GRIFFIN GOES. 

